Sony - SRS-XB21 Portable Bluetooth Speaker - Black

Enjoy your favorite songs with this Bluetooth Sony speaker. Its multicolored line lights and flashing strobe turn any gathering into a party, and the 12 hours battery keeps the music playing all night long. This portable Sony speaker is waterproof, and resistant to dust and rust, so you can supply the tunes for any adventure.

Cons

* The included instructions, 'Start Manual', 'Sony Music App' brochure, 'Wireless Speaker' Reference Guide, Sony 'Limited Warranty' brochure, and 'Notes On The Party Booster' function are extremely hard to read because of the super-small print.–PaulF

Note that this does NOT come with a power adapter, you'll need to provide your own plug to put the included micro USB cable into, something that companies are doing increasingly which is frustrating.–GoalieMedic

Compact Powerhouse with Great Sound!

The Sony XB21 wireless portable Bluetooth speaker is a surprisingly powerful unit with very nice sound quality and some great bonus features. Compared to the alternatives available it is one of the best values on the market.
This year Sony substantially upgraded its line of wireless Bluetooth speakers with a family of three new units: XB21, XB31 and XB41. These have some similar features (Extra Bass, Live Sound mode, water and dust proof case, inter-speaker connectivity, lighting effects) but differ in speaker size, battery life and price. The largest (XB41) is 11.5 inches long, weighs 3.3 pounds and has 58 mm speakers. The midsize (XB31) is 9.1 inches long, weighs 1.9 pounds and has 48 mm speakers. The smallest (XB21) is 7.6 inches long, weighs 1.2 pounds and has 42 mm speakers. The XB41 costs about 2.5 times the XB21 and the XB31 costs about 50% more than the XB31. There are advantages to each but this review will concentrate on the XB21.
After extensive testing of the Sony XB21 speaker in a wide variety of applications my conclusion is that this very compact unit has a superb combination of features, power and sound quality which surpass the vast majority of its competitors in its price range.
First, consider that the Sony XB21 is packed with a great set of features and specifications:
• It is very compact, 7.6” wide, 2.9” tall and 2.6” deep
• Weight: 1pound, 3 ounces and feels very solidly built
• Shock-resistant: Survives 4 foot drop test
• Water proof in fresh or salt water
• Dust proof and easy to clean
• Two 42 mm (1.7 inch) Mica Reinforced Cellular speakers
• Amplifier provides 4 watts of power for each speaker (at 4 ohms)
• Frequency range: 300 Hz to 15,000 Hz
• Total Harmonic Distortion of just 1%
• Sensitive microphone for use as speaker phone
• Bluetooth connectivity with 32 foot range
• NFC for easy connections
• Mini jack (3.5 mm) input (to connect a phone or iPod)
• Power supply: lithium ion battery, micro USB recharge cable included, full charge time 4 hours
• Battery life up to 12 hours (3 hours at maximum volume level)
• Lighting effects can be turned off entirely to extend battery life
• Sony Music Center app may be used to control most speaker functions
The sound produced by this speaker has considerable bass and is distortion-free and steady at both low and very high volumes. The twin speakers are slightly angled toward each other to increase the stereo effect and it has a DSP for a “3D Live Sound Mode.” It also has a feature called “Extra Bass” which increases the bass significantly which you can activate if you really want to emphasize the deep tones in your music but I found that the normal setting produced a better overall sound for most music.
The Bluetooth connection was effortless and solid from every device I tried (phone, tablet, laptop). It held the connection steady up to about 35 feet from my music source.
One nice bonus feature is the ability to connect a chain of Sony speakers which can extend your music throughout a large home or provide multiple sound sources in the same room.
Another use for the speaker is to create a high quality speaker phone by linking it to your phone – much better sound than using your phone’s tiny speakers for conversations. The built-in microphone was very effective for this purpose.
To get a second reaction to this speaker I asked a friend to try it out. Here is her reaction:
“Love at first sight. Yeah!!… no cables to figure out, no cords to string across the floor or trip on. No need to search for power source. No buttons or parts to get broken. Plus, it is beautiful – the color is white but it has lovely finish – reminds me of an elegant evening bag. It’s a win, win, win for clean design, functionality and adaptability at an affordable price from a trusted name. “
“My next impressions: All that sound coming out of that small device?”
“Makes working at my home computer so much more enjoyable with rich speaker sound filling the work space, and, bonus, clear voice speaker phone capability when needed. With easy to use button functions and scalability that makes me start to think about expanding the number of these speakers for a wireless system throughout more of the house. I am smitten.”
“I currently use it with Spotify choices through my laptop, though when cooking I intend to carry my speaker into the kitchen so I can listen to podcasts or audiobooks. When the weather improves in my corner of the world this speaker, like my iPhone, is definitely coming outside to pull music from my phone to add great sound to wonderful summer days. “
“As you might have guessed from my impressions, I more than like this small but mighty speaker. What a wonderful gadget to add a rich volume of sound greatly superior to my laptop and phone speakers. So, like it? More like… Love It!”
A footnote to my friend’s comments – after using it for a few days she went to Best Buy and bought two for herself!
Would I recommend this to a friend? I already have!!

I would recommend this to a friend

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TechTux

Tech Insider Network

Elite Plus Member

Top 1000 Contributor

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

5

Great Sound, Durable and Lights!

Posted 9 months ago

TechTux

Tech Insider Network

Elite Plus Member

Top 1000 Contributor

I have been extremely impressed with the Sony Portable Speaker. I am not a fan of portable speakers because it always seemed to be lacking in high treble or deep bass. Needless to say this one from Sony has pleasantly surprised me! There are so many hidden features and the music sounds great ! My only complaint is the learning curve and lapse of instructions on how to use all the nice features.
Pros:
Great Treble Sounds
Good Bass Sounds
Loudness
Features
Button Access / Charge Access
Waterproof
Audio In Jack (Stereo Mini Jack)
Mic for phone calls / Voice Assistance
Light Effects with Music
Made Well, Durable, Rubber Feet
Battery
Price (Under 100)
Cons:
Charging is Slow
Little to No instructional "How-To"
Sony Music Center Drains Battery (Be sure to disable auto launch)
NOTE::
First thing you want to do is install the Sony Music Center! You are able to enable / modify / disable feature on the speaker itself but it is very confusing and a lot of button combinations. Save yourself a headache and use the app.
*** FEATURES ***
Bluetooth Codec: (Located Under Other Settings)
The very first thing you want to do after paring up the speaker is go into the Sony Music Center - settings - other settings and change the Bluetooth Codec to "Auto". The feature modifies the audio streaming playback quality between "Priority on sound quality” and “Priority on stable connection” modes. By default it is set to stable connection SBC which reserves the bandwidth and limits sound quality. Change it to Auto and it will then be set to "Priority on sound quality" and Optimize codec automatically for AAC, LDAC, and SBC.
ClearAudi+:
This feature allows the speaker to optimize the Bass/Mid/Treble levels. By default it is set to Extra Bass which amplifies the Bass, you can change it to "Standard" or "Live Music" modes. You are able to modify each channel separately using the Bass/Middle/Treble wheel however when doing so it will disable the ClearAudi+ feature. Also note that selecting any other preset other than "Extra Bass" it will also disable the ClearAudi+ feature.
illumination (Light Effect):
The light feature goes along with the music that is playing. By default it is set to "Rave" however you can modify the light effects to "Chill" or "Strobe". Otherwise if you do not wish to use the light you can turn it off.
Party Booster:
The speaker has a unique feature depending on where you tap it, a sound effect will play. The customization is vast, you have 2 presets "Drum Kit" and "Precussion" however the most fun is when you select "Custom" and see the huge library of sound effects at your disposal. Nothing is more fun then taping the speaker and shocking your friends nearby.
Wireless Party Chain / Speaker Add Function:
These features allow you to setup multiple SRS-XB21 (or compatible speakers) together in a chain or specify their position individually. You can add up to 100 speakers it says but I have no way of testing that. It is nice to be able to add 2 of them and specify one for left channel and one for right. Here is a quick list of compatible speakers - SRS-XB21, SRS-XB31, SRS-XB41, SRS-XB20, SRS-XB30, SRS-XB40, GTK-XB60, GTK-XB90
Voice Assistance / Calling Feature:
The Mic is located at the top of the speaker and is pretty sensitive, in a room the other person can hear you clearly however when outside it becomes very difficult. Also note if using Voice Assistance you can to talk louder then the music playing so either lower the volume or be ready to yell so the mic can pick you up.
Power Options:
The features are pretty standard however you are able to enable a "BATT Voice" that will audibly alert you when battery is low. By default the Auto Standby is enabled and the Bluetooth Standby is "Off". I would recommend leaving these settings to preserve battery life.
Sony Music Center:
The install was easy and the step by step instructions to pair your device was nice. Once setup that's where it leaves you guessing, the option layout provides "My Library" "Audio In" "Google Play Music" "Spotify" and "Settings". Other than settings all other options are links to music software on your phone. You will most likely very rarely use the Sony Music Center unless you need to modify settings. I would also recommend to disable "Music Center Auto Launch" which they conveniently hide in upper right corner (3 dots) outside of the "settings" options you see at the bottom.

I would recommend this to a friend

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pauldar

Tech Insider Network

Elite Member

Top 50 Contributor

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

5

SRS-XB21, Dynamic Sound, Features, For All Ages

Posted 9 months ago

pauldar

Tech Insider Network

Elite Member

Top 50 Contributor

Sony has engineered and designed this versatile BT speaker for almost any kind indoor / outdoor activities you can imagine. For example, over this past two weeks I have used this speaker listening to Pandora while working in my garden, yard, and garage. At night I use this Sony speaker as an auxiliary to enhance the quality of sound from the small, tinny-sounding, speakers of my bedroom TV. I use a standard 3.5 mm audio jack and cable (Not Included) from the speaker's 'Audio-Input' connected to my TV. It delivers amazing sound clarity, depth, and bass for a speaker so small (7 5/8” W x 2 7/8” H x 2 5/8” D) and light-weight (only 19 oz). For me it duplicates a sound bar, and, is especially impressive when I play movie DVDs with its rich impressive sound delivery. For use in my bedroom it is the ideal size with expansive sound. I took this Sony SRS-XB21 speaker along last Tuesday on my fishing trip with my Brother-In-Law since it is basically waterproof (IP67), rustproof, and dustproof. At first he claimed that the sound from the SRS-XB21, especially the resounding bass, would scare the fish away. However, all of the fish we caught that day did not look scared to me. WooHoo!
Since we have two of these SRS-XB21 units my wife enjoys using her speaker in the kitchen listening to 'Music To Cook By' (yeah, right), and, when she knits, sews, or chores of cleaning rooms in our house. She also enjoys listening to audio-books out on our patio with a glass of her favorite wine for relaxation. She uses her E-Reader to connect to the SRS-XB21 through BT to enjoy 'listening' to her books. She also has used her Sony speaker to video-chat with her distant sisters and brothers, family, and friends on her laptop. She simply BTs her laptop to the SRS-XB21 for more realistic, robust sound then her laptop could ever provide. WoW! You can receive and send phone calls over this speaker, but neither one of us is overly enthused about this feature. However, I must make mention that you can enable either Siri, or, your Google Assistant to make the phone calls for you.
As the weather gets warmer we will be using both of these speaker units around our pool and hot tub. Since there are two modes to connect these speakers, 'ADD' speaker function, or 'Wireless Party Mode' (WPC), which allows you to chain many more compatible Sony speakers (up to 100). A fantastic feature Sony added is that two can be connected as either 'Double Mode' (both speakers play the same sound), or through 'Stereo Mode', which channels the sound of the speakers to the Left or Right. I prefer the 'Stereo Mode', which is simple to set-up and delivers amazing sound. The dynamic and astonishing sound quality is as good as it gets in 'Stereo Mode' using two Sony compatible speakers. YooHoo!
Before I go any further in detail I must explain that there is an 'On-Line Help Guide' Sony furnishes at its Support Site, which explains every one of the numerous features and functions in detailed steps to include informative drawings and simple illustrations. It is a must visit to bookmark if you purchase these speakers.
The Grand Kids – It befuddles me how younger kids pick up technology as fast as they do and with an intuitive understanding of new tech systems so they can confidently say, “Grandpa and Grandma, this is how it works”. I downloaded the Free Sony Music App, which prompted me to download the Free Sony Fiestable App. Both of these Apps are available at either the Google Play or Apple App Stores. You need both of these Apps to fully enjoy the multitude of features offered by the Sony SRS-XB21. My Grand Kids showed me that there are 15 additional sounds that you can customize the SRS-XB21 using the Sony Music Center App while the music is playing:
* Synth Kick
* Hi-Hat
* Cymbal
* Synth Snare
* Synth Tom
* Cowbell
* Conga High
* Conga Low
* Rim-Shot
* Shaker
* Explosion
* Base Effect
* Reverse
* Scratch
* Scratch Double
Additionally, there are five positions to tap the speaker manually while dancing or grooving:
- both sides (2)
- top
- bottom
- front of speaker
You tap hard for a loud sound and light for a soft sound. I am 75 now and Grandma is 72, but we both are learning how to groove, with the Grand Kids help, using the Sony Music Center App and the SRS-XB21 speaker.
Depending on your Smart Phone or your BT connected device, this is what you can control with the Sony Music Center App:
* Playback of music files included with High-Resolution (Hi-Res) audio content which are located on a device such as a smartphone or iPhone.
* Sound quality setting and equalizer adjustment.
* Built-in battery level indicator.
* Power options such as the auto power off (Auto Standby) function and BLUETOOTH standby mode.
* Lighting setting (switching the lighting mode).
* Switching the BLUETOOTH mode and AUDIO IN mode.
* Switching BLUETOOTH codex (the BLUETOOTH audio streaming playback quality).
* Grouping with other speakers (Speaker Add function/Wireless Party Chain function).
* Setting the Party Booster function.
* Updating the software of the speaker.
And, one of the best features is the 'Party Booster' function, which both Grandma and I like and the Grand Kids love, of course. You can accomplish any feature or function manually, or, by using the Sony Music Center App. There are 3 ways to turn the Party Booster function 'ON' or 'OFF':
- Operate the speaker’s buttons.
- Set by using the app.
- Tap the speaker’s body (Tap the lower left of the cap on the rear side of the speaker twice quickly).
The Sony SRXS-XB21 has 'Voice Prompts' to inform you of how much charge is left in the battery, BT Pairing, etc. It comes with a one year warranty. You can register your model at the Sony Support website to initiate the warranty period. It lasts up to 12 hours on low sound with no lights, and, can be dropped safely from a height of approximately four feet. This speaker cleans easily with just plain water. It is small enough to place in a fishing tackle box, picnic basket, ladies' handbag, a child's backpack, or lunchbox.
Now in order to be fair and give a comprehensive review, I must list my dislikes:
* The manual control buttons under the waterproof cap on the back of the unit are in muted black, which makes it extremely difficult to read the lettering without available, bright lighting.
* Takes approximately three and one half hours to fully charge using the included USB cable.
* The included instructions, 'Start Manual', 'Sony Music App' brochure, 'Wireless Speaker' Reference Guide, Sony 'Limited Warranty' brochure, and 'Notes On The Party Booster' function are extremely hard to read because of the super-small print. None of these included instructions contain the necessary details and illustrations that are available at the 'Sony Support' website to fully understand the various features and operations of this fantastic speaker.
In conclusion, I highly recommend the purchase of these dynamic sounding speakers. The bass is fantastic, rich and powerful, especially when the 'Party Booster' is engaged. At this price point you will not find another BT speaker with as many features and spectacular sound reproduction. If you like powerful, rich, deep bass – this is the BT speaker for you . . . . . .

I would recommend this to a friend

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pauldar

Tech Insider Network

Elite Member

Top 500 Contributor

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

5

SRS-XB21, Dynamic Sound, Fun Features, ForAll Ages

Sony has engineered and designed this versatile BT speaker for almost any kind indoor / outdoor activities you can imagine. For example, over this past two weeks I have used this speaker listening to Pandora while working in my garden, yard, and garage. At night I use this Sony speaker as an auxiliary to enhance the quality of sound from the small, tinny-sounding, speakers of my bedroom TV. I use a standard 3.5 mm audio jack and cable (Not Included) from the speaker's 'Audio-Input' connected to my TV. It delivers amazing sound clarity, depth, and bass for a speaker so small (7 5/8” W x 2 7/8” H x 2 5/8” D) and light-weight (only 19 oz). For me it duplicates a sound bar, and, is especially impressive when I play movie DVDs with its rich impressive sound delivery. For use in my bedroom it is the ideal size with expansive sound. I took this Sony SRS-XB21 speaker along last Tuesday on my fishing trip with my Brother-In-Law since it is basically waterproof (IP67), rustproof, and dustproof. At first he claimed that the sound from the SRS-XB21, especially the resounding bass, would scare the fish away. However, all of the fish we caught that day did not look scared to me. WooHoo!
Since we have two of these SRS-XB21 units my wife enjoys using her speaker in the kitchen listening to 'Music To Cook By' (yeah, right), and, when she knits, sews, or chores of cleaning rooms in our house. She also enjoys listening to audio-books out on our patio with a glass of her favorite wine for relaxation. She uses her E-Reader to connect to the SRS-XB21 through BT to enjoy 'listening' to her books. She also has used her Sony speaker to video-chat with her distant sisters and brothers, family, and friends on her laptop. She simply BTs her laptop to the SRS-XB21 for more realistic, robust sound then her laptop could ever provide. WoW! You can receive and send phone calls over this speaker, but neither one of us is overly enthused about this feature. However, I must make mention that you can enable either Siri, or, your Google Assistant to make the phone calls for you.
As the weather gets warmer we will be using both of these speaker units around our pool and hot tub. Since there are two modes to connect these speakers, 'ADD' speaker function, or 'Wireless Party Mode' (WPC), which allows you to chain many more compatible Sony speakers (up to 100). A fantastic feature Sony added is that two can be connected as either 'Double Mode' (both speakers play the same sound), or through 'Stereo Mode', which channels the sound of the speakers to the Left or Right. I prefer the 'Stereo Mode', which is simple to set-up and delivers amazing sound. The dynamic and astonishing sound quality is as good as it gets in 'Stereo Mode' using two Sony compatible speakers. YooHoo!
Before I go any further in detail I must explain that there is an 'On-Line Help Guide' Sony furnishes at its Support Site, which explains every one of the numerous features and functions in detailed steps to include informative drawings and simple illustrations. It is a must visit to bookmark if you purchase these speakers.
The Grand Kids – It befuddles me how younger kids pick up technology as fast as they do and with an intuitive understanding of new tech systems so they can confidently say, “Grandpa and Grandma, this is how it works”. I downloaded the Free Sony Music App, which prompted me to download the Free Sony Fiestable App. Both of these Apps are available at either the Google Play or Apple App Stores. You need both of these Apps to fully enjoy the multitude of features offered by the Sony SRS-XB21. My Grand Kids showed me that there are 15 additional sounds that you can customize the SRS-XB21 using the Sony Music Center App while the music is playing:
* Synth Kick
* Hi-Hat
* Cymbal
* Synth Snare
* Synth Tom
* Cowbell
* Conga High
* Conga Low
* Rim-Shot
* Shaker
* Explosion
* Base Effect
* Reverse
* Scratch
* Scratch Double
Additionally, there are five positions to tap the speaker manually while dancing or grooving:
- both sides (2)
- top
- bottom
- front of speaker
You tap hard for a loud sound and light for a soft sound. I am 75 now and Grandma is 72, but we both are learning how to groove, with the Grand Kids help, using the Sony Music Center App and the SRS-XB21 speaker.
Depending on your Smart Phone or your BT connected device, this is what you can control with the Sony Music Center App:
* Playback of music files included with High-Resolution (Hi-Res) audio content which are located on a device such as a smartphone or iPhone.
* Sound quality setting and equalizer adjustment.
* Built-in battery level indicator.
* Power options such as the auto power off (Auto Standby) function and BLUETOOTH standby mode.
* Lighting setting (switching the lighting mode).
* Switching the BLUETOOTH mode and AUDIO IN mode.
* Switching BLUETOOTH codex (the BLUETOOTH audio streaming playback quality).
* Grouping with other speakers (Speaker Add function/Wireless Party Chain function).
* Setting the Party Booster function.
* Updating the software of the speaker.
And, one of the best features is the 'Party Booster' function, which both Grandma and I like and the Grand Kids love, of course. You can accomplish any feature or function manually, or, by using the Sony Music Center App. There are 3 ways to turn the Party Booster function 'ON' or 'OFF':
- Operate the speaker’s buttons.
- Set by using the app.
- Tap the speaker’s body (Tap the lower left of the cap on the rear side of the speaker twice quickly).
The Sony SRXS-XB21 has 'Voice Prompts' to inform you of how much charge is left in the battery, BT Pairing, etc. It comes with a one year warranty. You can register your model at the Sony Support website to initiate the warranty period. It lasts up to 12 hours on low sound with no lights, and, can be dropped safely from a height of approximately four feet. This speaker cleans easily with just plain water. It is small enough to place in a fishing tackle box, picnic basket, ladies' handbag, a child's backpack, or lunchbox.
Now in order to be fair and give a comprehensive review, I must list my dislikes:
* The manual control buttons under the waterproof cap on the back of the unit are in muted black, which makes it extremely difficult to read the lettering without available, bright lighting.
* Takes approximately three and one half hours to fully charge using the included USB cable.
* The included instructions, 'Start Manual', 'Sony Music App' brochure, 'Wireless Speaker' Reference Guide, Sony 'Limited Warranty' brochure, and 'Notes On The Party Booster' function are extremely hard to read because of the super-small print. None of these included instructions contain the necessary details and illustrations that are available at the 'Sony Support' website to fully understand the various features and operations of this fantastic speaker.
In conclusion, I highly recommend the purchase of these dynamic sounding speakers. The bass is fantastic, rich and powerful, especially when the 'Party Booster' is engaged. At this price point you will not find another BT speaker with as many features and spectacular sound reproduction. If you like powerful, rich, deep bass – this is the BT speaker for you . . . . . .

I would recommend this to a friend

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nickcal

Tech Insider Network

Elite Member

Top 250 Contributor

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

5

Powerful, all-around speaker

Summertime is the perfect time for get-togethers. When the weather gets nice, it’s just time for cookouts and tailgates and there is no better setting for portable music. In the past couple of years, I’ve seen an influx of portable Bluetooth speakers that are meant for the outdoors. They are waterproof, dustproof, and ready for action. I was very excited to learn about this particular lineup of speakers from Sony — the Extra Bass speakers.
Sony worked to design headphones and speakers that were specifically meant to provide more bass than other products. The Extra Bass series feature the Electro Bass Booster technology which brings bass into focus no matter what tracks you are listening to. This battery-powered enhancer digitally increases low-frequencies in the music and maximizes the deep, punchy sound and rhythmic feel that bass-lovers dream of. The Extra Bass function is built into these products as an active button on the device. That way you can turn it on and off at will.
One of these speakers is the SRS-XB21 — a petite Bluetooth speaker that can easily fill a room with its powerful 42mm (dual) speaker unit. The speaker is compact and will easily fit in any travel bag. It’s got the right shape to fit in the bottle-holder of most backpacks.
The speaker comes in a Sony-branded box with a nice image of the speaker on the cover. The SRS-XB21 comes in four different colors - red, blue, white, and black — and the box reflects which color is inside. The front of the box depicts the different features via icons on the bottom left-hand corner. One of the sides describes the app functionality of the speaker that allows you to customize your listening experience. The Sony Music Center app is available for either iOS or Android users.
The back of the box provides the user with a bit more information about the features of the speaker. Some of the features include LIVE SOUND mode, Party Booster, and Wireless Party Chain (up to 100 speakers). It is within these features that I feel like the SRS-XB21 really stands out from the crowd — well, that and the incredible sound it pushes out.
I love the feel of this speaker. It just feels like a ‘premium’ speaker. The SRS-XB21 pairs with my iPhone quite easily. When you turn it on for the first time, it goes into pairing mode and appears within your Bluetooth menu. After that, you will have to press/hold the power button for approximately 5 seconds in order to enter pairing mode. There is an indicator light to show that the speaker is powered up and paired/in pairing mode. There are also +/- buttons to advance songs or increase/decrease volume and a play/pause button that serves as an answer/hang-up button, too. The buttons are very tactile even though they are covered in silicone.
There is a trapdoor on the back of the speaker that includes an aux point, Micro USB port for charging, reset button, and three other buttons for added functionality.
The SRS-XB21 is ready for any advances. It is rated IP67, which means it’s waterproof and dustproof. The speaker can even be immersed in water. The fabric that covers the speaker is exclusively made in Japan and it’s very easy to clean.
I found the speaker to be very easy to work with and loved the sound from it. I have tried some speakers that are the same style as this one that have a hollow sound and they lack any sort of depth. This Sony speaker delivers a deep, powerful sound that doesn’t disappoint.

I would recommend this to a friend

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SteveC

Tech Insider Network

Elite Member

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

5

Wow, really impressed

We have a home theater projector and even though it has built in speakers they just aren’t that good, or loud enough due to my hearing problems.
I have a Bluetooth transmitter hooked to the audio out jack and had been using a Bose Soundlink II portable Bluetooth speaker with it and the sound was much better. I got this to compare the two and we were totally blown away by the difference.
The Sony SRS-XB21 speaker is more of a tubular shape, covered with a heavy weaved fabric, “very easy to hold on to” It came with a USB power cord, no charger, and manual. You’ll have to use your phone charger or any other USB charger you may already have. I used a multiport USB charger and that worked perfectly. Once you plug in the charger the charging led “next to the USB port” will glow till finished charging. You’ll want to use a 2A charger if you want it to charge fairly quickly, around 3 hours.
Powering up and pairing was very simple, I just had to put the transmitter into pairing mode and then turned on the speaker, pressed and held the power button for 3 seconds, then the pairing indicator light started blinking, about 4-5 seconds later it showed both were paired and ready to go. There’s also a built in NFC antenna so you can connect your phone easily, can even take phone calls over the speaker too if you wish.
Fortunately my transmitter allows for two devices so we could compare the Sony and the Bose side by side and there’s a definite difference between the two. First the Sony can go much louder than the Bose. There’s a ton of base to it also, we were both amazed just how much “Boom” this little speaker put out, way more than the Bose. For voice quality it was pretty much a dead tie, I preferred the Bose and my wife preferred the Sony. Battery life seems a little better with the Sony and during the 2.5hrs watching Lord of the Rings the battery level moved very little. Pressing the “Batt” button on the back gives you and voice announcement stating the level. Sony claims 10-12hrs of battery life and this looks pretty close to being accurate from what we observed.
Sony also has some neat built in features that allows you to pair more than one device “chain them together” so you could have a left – right speaker set up if you wanted. But for as loud as this little speaker is there’s no need for us to do that at all. It is also rated IP67 water resistant, which means it can get completed immersed in water up to 3’, don’t think I’ll be testing this but it’s nice to know if you want to take it with you while outdoors.
There’s also some built in lighting that will blink to the rhythm of music, it doesn’t work very well for movies but during a sound score it kept up pretty good. It’s not a feature we will use and fortunately Sony allows turning that off.
And then there’s also a “Party Booster" feature that while you are holding the speaker in your hand and tap on different areas of the speaker to create sound effects like “drum, record scratch, and a cowbell. Neat for the kids but can’t see us using that.
In all, this is an excellent speaker, and trying it out to use with our home theater mainly worked out better than we planned. What I really like is its size, if I’m the only one watching a movie I can set it right in front of me and hear it perfectly. With my wife or company in the room I can place it further out on the coffee table and there’s more than plenty volume for everyone to hear.

I would recommend this to a friend

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DavidJr

Tech Insider Network

Elite Member

Top 100 Contributor

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

5

Surprisingly loud and deep bass to size

Posted 9 months ago

DavidJr

Tech Insider Network

Elite Member

Top 100 Contributor

This speaker is a true party boosting device. Small and light enough to throw into bag and resistant enough to pull out anywhere. The IP67 rating makes it so you can take it to the beach, lake, river or boat and not worry about it getting splashed on, soaked or covered in sand. It’s really easy to sync to a device via Bluetooth and with NFC it can be done with just a tap. There is also an Aux audio in if you don’t have that capability, but you are removing your water resistance if you do this by leaving the back cover open and connections exposed.
As for party boosting, like Will Ferrell and Christopher Walken once said on a SNL skit, “I gotta have more cowbell.” It makes me wonder how they came up with the idea of smacking the speaker and giving you sound effects. With a double smack on the back, or enabling through the Music Center App, you can enable 5 locations,( top/bottom, both sides, and front) to have various sounds to include scratch, snare, kick drum and cowbell. Now take that fact that you can connect a bunch of these with wireless party chain and you can have a whole party of people making their own beats to whatever is playing. To spice things up a little more they have LED lighting to go with the beat. I just wish I had more of them and knew a good flash mob group because it would be fun to see and hear.
The sound from this little thing is truly amazing. Deep bass, clear crisp highs and no distortion or vibration sounds. Compared to the SRS-XB40 that I have from last year, it is definitely smaller and not as loud, but it stands out amongst others I have seen of this size. With that though, I can’t get these two speakers to add each other so they can play as one for the likes of me. I’d imagine it would be easier from the same models and the older speaker doesn’t support the Wireless Party Chain, but they should still add as it shows in the app and online guides.
Besides the difficulty of adding the two different speakers, the provided instructions are very limited, but the Music Center App does link to the website which helps with most questions. I also did not have a good experience with using it to answer calls as the audio kept cutting out for the people on the other side, as if noise cancellation just cancelled everything. I’ll stick to the phone or headphones for that purpose.

I would recommend this to a friend

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mobilelawyer

Tech Insider Network

Elite Member

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

5

Pure Fun, Excellent Compact Speaker

Posted 9 months ago

mobilelawyer

Tech Insider Network

Elite Member

You must hear this Sony bluetooth speaker to beieve it. It is the size of a conventional flashlight. Not a touch bigger. But it can literally fill a medium to large size room with clear, spacious, undistorted sound. I have both this and the larger SRS-XB41, and each is praiseworthy in its own right, but I promise you will fall in love with this tiny wonder. It is an incredible value at its price. And, yes, the sound output contains plenty of bass! Don't ask me how Sony did that. Sound engineering? Magic? I don't care.
I had it out of the box and paired with my Pixel 2, using NFC, in just a couple of minutes. I read the code on the instructions with the Pixel camera, and was was taken to the Playstore to install the Sony Music Center app.
The speaker has an illuminated surround which beats with the music. Its mode of operation can be changed or turned off. The little wonder is also water resistant and dust proof. And, no, I would not advise throwing it in the pool. But since accidents can happen, the water resitance is welcome.
It comes with a USB charging cable that works with any phone charger. There is no AC converter. Sony claims a 12 hour battery life. I have not fully tested that claim. I do know my wife listened to music all day yesterday while working in the yard, and she had run the speaker down by the time i got home. I charged it back up last night. It took several hours. The charge light was off when I woke up this morning. If I have one complaint with this speaker, it would be the charging time.
This speaker is just plain fun. I haven't carried it to beach yet, but that trip is coming. It has a party mode feature, allowing you to tap the front or sides and add your own drumbeat to the music you are dancing to.
You can also daisy chain this speaker to combine it with another Sony bluetooth speaker to share the sound in multiple locations, or expand the image of the sound in the same room.
Bluetooth range was just fine. I never lost signal anywhere in my home when I moved the speaker and phone around to different locations.
If you are considering any Bluetooth speaker for either music enjoyment or pure fun, or both, consider this one. If portability is a consideration, I don't see how there could be another choice.

Sony calls the SRS-XB21 a 'party speaker.' We think it mostly lives up to that reputation as it is impressively loud for its size/price. It also adds a 'slap the speaker to make drum noises' feature in the interest of party entertainment. TheFull Review

Best answer: just go to settings/connections/bluetooth on your phone. Make sure you have fully charged the speaker before trying to pair, tho. Then, turn speaker off - wait a min, and turn it back on/power on. When all that is done, put both phone and speaker nearby one another (like, on the same desk/table top), and simply hold the down the power button on speaker (the button with a white light) which puts it (speaker) into pairing mode. if your phone doesn't immediately detect it, promptly switch your phone bluetooth on and off while speaker (white / power button) is still flashing. I had to try a cpl times, but upon pairing it for the first time, its super easy/no real effort, hence forward.